University of Richmond Psychology Professor Kristjen Lundberg Receives International Award for Best Social Cognition Paper

October 16, 2018

Kristjen Lundberg, an assistant professor of social psychology at the University of Richmond, and her collaborators have received an award from the International Social Cognition Network for “Best Social Cognition Paper.”

Lundberg coauthored the paper, “The Bias of Crowds: How Implicit Bias Bridges Personal and Systemic Prejudice.” The paper focuses on implicit bias, which refers to attitudes or stereotypes that may unintentionally impact our thoughts, actions, and decisions.

“Whether implicit bias is real and consequential is a strongly debated topic. Our work attempts to address these controversies by reinterpreting the nature of implicit bias as more a product of situations than individuals,” said Lundberg, whose areas of expertise include implicit social cognition, prejudice, discrimination, status, and inequality.

Lundberg notes this alternative way of thinking has important implications, particularly for how to go about reducing discrimination and inequality. “Most importantly, we argue that interventions focused on changing social contexts are likely to be most effective,” she added.

“The paper impressed the committee because it takes a widely studied and central topic in social cognition and adopts a theoretically novel and creative approach to addressing some of the biggest puzzles still challenging this research area,” said award committee chair Alison Ledgerwood in an email announcing the award.

“We are so proud of our colleague Kristjen, who continues to make a meaningful impact on our students, university, and her field,” says Cindy Bukach, UR psychology department chair.

Authors: Keith Payne, a professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Heidi Vuletich, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and Kristjen Lundberg, an assistant professor of social psychology at the University of Richmond.